STRICKLER -- An 1888 poem, "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer, features a "mighty" baseball player, Casey, who watches strikes go by two times and then swings and misses the third time to strike out at bat.
But Casey Jones, 49, a native of Prairie Grove who lives in nearby Strickler, doesn't watch strikes go by or hasn't swung and missed. This Casey saw strikes of good ideas coming at him and then connected with them so as to serve the poor in the country of India.
Jones has used his brainchild, named "Miles for Missions," to raise money for children's homes in and near Chennai, India, based on miles hiked on two multi-day backpacking trips.
More trips are planned, he said.
Jones said he participated in a 2017 mission trip with Prairie Grove First Baptist Church to that area of India, also known as Madras, located on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, and afterward often thought about the people they helped, especially the children.
He said the people there "want the mission work" his group provided, mostly electrical and some plumbing, and the gratitude he and his group received and his own sense of fulfillment in doing something for others sparked his desire to do more.
However, he said, people who go on mission trips pay their own way, which is costly, and then the coronavirus pandemic struck. He said he kept trying to figure out a way he could help from northwest Arkansas.
"I kept seeing the children in my mind."
Jones said that several years before 2021, he began walking in the early morning due to sleeplessness, and as he hiked and pondered, his idea of Miles for Missions began to take shape.
The more he walked, the better he felt, he said, and with that, his long-held goal to hike the Ozark Highlands Trail came into reach. He began researching and eventually subscribed to Pitch Perfect, the YouTube channel of a Dallas musician who also does long-range backpacking, and Jones ended up using many of the ideas he learned from the channel to help himself prepare.
After six months of training and plotting the details, Jones started his first Miles for Missions backpacking fundraiser in late February 2021, from the west end of the Ozark Highlands Trail in Lake Fort Smith State Park, and ending March 6 at mile 164 near Wollum, a total of 10 days on the trail.
He hiked it solo, and ultimately raised $11,200, which at this time converts to ₹873,152 (Indian rupees). He said the money is used to buy and secure food, water, shelter, clothing and education. According to Jones, the cost of raising a child in the United States is around $10,000, but in India, the cost is starkly less, only $800.
Jones is a 28-year employee with Ozarks Electric Cooperative in quality service, meaning he makes sure all customers have power. He said he has inspected tens of thousands of poles on his four-wheeler, which he hauls in a trailer to far-flung corners of northwest Arkansas, and also on foot where vehicles can't go.
When he went to India, he was told to begin using tea tree oil in his shampoo and body wash to prevent getting lice, and he now uses it all the time to repel ticks and chiggers. His tip is to pour about one and a half ounces of the oil into a 24-ounce bottle of either product. He said if he finds ticks on him now, they are already dead.
"It might sting a little, but it works," Jones said.
Jones coordinated another Miles for Missions trip this year in May with two other adults and two boys, ages 9 and 11. They hiked a western section of the Buffalo National River trail from Boxley Valley to Pruitt.
The 11-year-old is his nephew, his sister Lydia Carter's son. Carter wrote in an email that she is a "proud Momma" because her son was "loving without borders" and showing that even children can "make change" and "do hard things."
Jones said neither boy complained at any point during the four-day, 37-mile backpack, and each one got sponsors and raised money. As of June 30, this year's Miles for Missions hike has raised almost $7,000, according to Jones.
Another thing Jones shared is he eliminated soft drinks out of his diet before going to India and has left them out ever since. He said that one change has made a significant difference in his health and ability to do these long and often arduous endeavors, for he needed to hike roughly 20 miles per day carrying 30 or more pounds.
Planning was key in the success of both Miles for Missions treks, Jones said. He used a Garmin GPS communication device that allowed him to text his wife Shonda his position coordinates and brief messages each night. He said he had cell service in only four spots during his 2021 trip.
He also coordinated two drop-off locations for supplies during the longer trek, and he supplied himself with potable water by collecting it from streams and filtering it.
During the Ozark Highland Trails trip, Jones said he saw only seven people on the trail and, miraculously, one of those was Pitch Perfect, the Dallas YouTuber whose ideas Jones used. Pitch Perfect told Jones he'd never met a subscriber of his channel on the trail.
Jones said he wants to continue doing this and is open to others joining in future hikes, but he said people need to prepare rigorously both physically and mentally. He said when the going is rough, he's tired but he still has more miles to reach that day's mileage goal. The trip requires self-discipline and a lot of focus to get to the end.
He keeps in mind why he's hiking and the trust his sponsors have placed in him to complete the hike as laid out with no shortcuts allowed.
Jones' next long Miles for Missions hike will likely be in Colorado on what is called the Collegiate Loop, but he probably will go on shorter treks between then and now.
Jones' ultimate goal is to hike the Continental Divide from the border of Old Mexico with New Mexico to Canada, roughly 3,280 miles, a trip he said would take six to eight months.
Jones said he got a lot of support for his efforts from his church, family and work colleagues. He said he is especially grateful to Ed Smith, his church's mission director, who visits India about four times a year and sees the difference money makes.
Many of the children in the homes in India have never been hugged before because of the country's caste system,. Jones sees hope awaken in their eyes when they are hugged and provided with basics. The money also helps adults who run the children's homes be better equipped to take care of the children.
Jones said he's not in this for it to be something big or to bring him fame.
"I'm not doing this for anyone but myself, my Savior and these kids," Jones said.
To inquire about joining Jones on the trail, email him at [email protected]. Donations may be mailed to Prairie Grove First Baptist Church, Attn: Miles for Missions, P.O. Box 40, Prairie Grove AR 72753. Make checks out to the church with "Miles for Missions" in the For line.
Donations are tax deductible and are sent to the non-governmental organization India Pioneer Triad.
COURTESY PHOTO A mission trip five years ago to Chennai, India, impacted Casey Jones, of Strickler, and he wanted to find a way to raise money in Northwest Arkansas for children's homes in and near Chennai. The result is a hiking fundraiser called Miles for Missions.
COURTESY PHOTO One of the beautiful views along the National Buffalo River Trail in Arkansas.